Barry Norman, a legend in the realm of film criticism in the UK and beyond, and a beloved journalist and broadcaster, died Friday night. He was 83.
Born in London in 1933 to director Leslie Norman and wife Elizabeth, Barry Norman studied shipping management at Islington Technical College before kicking off a career in journalism at the Kensington News. After stints working in South Africa and Zimbabwe, Norman returned to the UK and worked at the Daily Sketch and then the Mail, before being made redundant from the latter in 1971.
His life was to change in 1972 when he began presenting the BBC's Film show, and became the programmes's sole presented the following year. He presented the series almost without interruption until 1998, before moving on to work for BSkyB.
In his time, he presented many TV series and even co-anchored Channel 4's coverage of the Olympics in Seoul in 1988. He worked on radio and contributed to a number of columns, including one on film for the Radio Times. He became famous for his conversational, knowledgable style and for his catchphrase, "and why not?" Suffice to say, he had a huge impact on many of us at Empire who wanted to write about film.
"He had a great life, a wonderful marriage, and an enviable career," daughters Samantha and Emma said in a statement. "He leaves behind a family who adore him and a great roster of friends who love him too. We will miss him more than we can say."